To think the hairdresser has totally messed my hair up?

[Maria53]

I am naturally auburn but fancied a change to strawberry blonde/peach. When I went in the hairdresser, we will call her J, said she would need much longer to achieve that colour so I would need to come back. She also kind of talked me out of doing it, saying it would be a lot if root maintenance. She suggested I instead get loads of highlights with a strawberry blonde coloured toner through it to make it look like I had lots of that colour through my hair (pic attached, the one I took to them). She then said I'd need to go with another hairdresser due to availability.

Well see pics of how my hair actually looks. I feel like crying because it just looks like blonde highlights theough my auburn hair. I was looking forward to some peachy vibrancy but it doesnt look that way at all. I havent cried since I was about 17 over my hair but it is not what I expected from the discussion we had. it was really expensive too! AIBU?

Also any hairdressers to advise.

A lot of these Pinterest colours are basically unachieveable. They fade very quickly anyway even if you did get close. It’s really a look for a photo or a one off thing like rainbow festival hair not a long term style.

@Atalune

The hair dresser told you she couldn’t make that look work and told you she couldn’t do it in the time available. She also said what she could do and then I presume you said- yes?

I don’t know what else she could have done?

You asked for something- it was Unachievable
She offered you something else- you agreed

You’re disappointed but I don’t think the hairstylist was at fault.

Yeah it's basically the Brexit of hairdos.

A valiant attempt at achieving the impossible that came at quite a high price.

The major differences between Brexit and your hairdo are:

1. your hair really isn't that bad
2. the rest of the world is neither pitying you nor mocking you in the press
3. nobody's going to die or go bankrupt
4. you can DEFINITELY hold your head up high when you interact with the wider world without any kind of shame and embarrassment

It looks nice, but it’s not what you asked for. So I would go back and see if it can be rectified.

Struggling to find a photo showing what I asked for. I think I was expecting to see something more like this (not so much the blonde at the bottom but the rest of it)?

If she said you will have lots of a similar colour through it after the toner i dont expect to end up with blonde highlights.

As a fellow ginge who dabbles in blonde I think she would have had to bleach the whole lot then apply a lighter copper colour dye to achieve what you wanted. Getting the copper colour to ‘take’ might have been a bit hit or miss and it would have faded very quickly.
What she’s done with the highlights is give your hair Some depth and texture and made it seem a little lighter too.
It looks good.
Ginger hair is notoriously tricky to bleach and dye.

Ginger hair is notoriously tricky to bleach and dye.

This! One of my friends is ginger but had the hair around her face blonde before lockdown. When her hairdresser took the blonde sections back to ginger recently, even they couldn’t get the colour just right! There’s an obvious demarcation line

I know, my hair has always been tricky to dye. Not sure why being redhead makes it harder?!

Thing is, last time I got blonde highlights (intentionally) I actually added on peach from a semi permanent dye in Boots. I had peach highlights within half an hour and I loved it. So how come the hairdresser cant do it ?

Red hair holds pigment harder so it takes more to colour it. I’m a fading ginger too, I find the best way to brighten up is to go copper. Adding red seems to go much better and lasts longer.

Struggling to find a photo showing what I asked for.

Which should tell you that it is hard to achieve... I can find a million photos of "brown hair blond highlights"

You'll also notice that all the photos you find are of people sitting in a hairdresser's chair. Not wandering around in their daily lives. Because that colour will wash out after a week or so and look either orange or pink.

Love "Brexit hair"!

The pictures you’ve posted look completely different to each other. The first lot look brown with blond highlights then your last one is pure ginger. I’m confused.

As a ginger myself, having had highlights, you need to use strong peroxide to bleach ginger hair for it to then take another colour. My hairdressser left the bleach on for ages. Pic to show the depth of ginger colour.

Have you considered using henna? Lush do a red one.

I think we have the same hairdresser.

Had blonde hair and roots due to covid so wanted a root drag with the blonde at the bottom and darker on top. Showed picture and was told it was fine to do. I now have brown hair with some blonde highlights. the brown has went reddish when out in the sun because I've washed it and it's lightened up a bit.

I'm not happy at all, I've told her that and not had a reply...

Your hair might look nice now but when you wanted stunning vibrant hair, nice doesn't really cut it!

I definitely think some hairdressers can seem a bit highlight-happy. You want a brand new colour? How about some nice highlights? You want dark? How about some nice highlights? You want a pixie cut? How about some nice highlights? 😂

I wanted a vibrant rose gold colour last time I had mine coloured, which was the first time it had been coloured in a very long time. I'm naturally blonde / a bit red, but the hairdresser, (not my usual one), gave me "some nice highlights" 😂. Ah well. I had to dye over it myself in the end, due to lockdown, to go back to my natural colour. Never again. I'll do it myself, or at least never stray again from my usual hairdresser.

I normally find whatever idea I have in mind never happens. I recently tried to bleach my hair and recover with ash grey. Lots of research and it just didn't work. My hair went orange on the bottom and white on top. The dye just came out black and didn't cover the red. Now my hair is a total mess

Looking again, it is so different to what you asked for. It’s not even remotely similar nor is it a “work in progress” toward your goal - it’s just missed the mark in every possible way. Even if they couldn’t get it as light as you wanted, they could have tweaked the colour to be more similar & more vibrant than what you have now

I would leave it alone. Its a nice colour. The colour you wanted is hideous. If you dye it you will end up with hideous, dry damaged straw hair.

@user1494055864

I would leave it alone. Its a nice colour. The colour you wanted is hideous. If you dye it you will end up with hideous, dry damaged straw hair.

What a nasty post.

Just saying something is hideous doesn’t make it true. It’s what OP asked her hairdresser for so your opinion is irrelevant on all counts. The hairdresser proposed an alternative, but even then didn’t deliver what was proposed. Hair salons can’t just do whatever they want because they think their client’s request is hideous. If the service wasn’t as described or wasn’t carried out with reasonable care or skill, OP is not only entitled to not like the result but is also entitled to a fix or refund.

I don’t think OP’s hair looks better than the Pinterest image. I wouldn’t want my hair to look like that after an expensive service as it looks basic - cool blonde highlights don’t blend well with warm auburn hair, the contrast is high, the placement of the highlights is outdated etc.

Yet funnily enough I complimented her hair, whereas you have just pulled it apart, even though that is the hair she is currently stuck with. So it is you that is rude.

Your hair is more strawberry blonde and peach that the Pinterest photo which is ginger (and glorious)

Yeah I can see why you’re annoyed. You paid a lot for a fairly subtle change when you wanted ginger. Go back and talk to them.

Thank gid she didn’t give you peach coloured hair. Yours looks nice

@user1494055864

I think the hairdresser did you a massive favour.

This. 💯